FNL Preview: Brookfield Bulldogs v S. Shelby Cardinals

Brookfield begins the 2014 football season at home against Clarence Cannon Conference opponent South Shelby. The Cardinals finished in a fourth-place tie in the CCC a season ago. The Dogs are coming in off of a wet Jamboree at Macon, where no one really saw anything as far as playbooks and styles are concerned.

Brookfield begins the 2014 football season at home against Clarence Cannon Conference opponent South Shelby. The Cardinals finished in a fourth-place tie in the CCC a season ago. The Dogs are coming in off of a wet Jamboree at Macon, where no one really saw anything as far as playbooks and styles are concerned.

“I think we left the jamboree feeling pretty confident in our ability to have success this season,” said Brookfield Head Coach Nile Thudium. “We had limited reps, and kept the offense to a minimum, but we felt like we saw a lot of good things.”

South Shelby is under the guidance of longtime coach Rob Wilt. They have 14 returing starters on both sides of the football. Offensively, the Cardinals averaged 25.5 points per game, with six starters coming back.

“They will run multiple formations, including a standard Pro-I formation and a Shotgun Pistol,” explained Coach Thudium. “The entire offense is based around getting the ball to their All-State tailback [Trace Windsor]. They intend to run the ball off tackle and play action pass.”

Windsor will indeed be the primary threat for South Shelby, and is a returning All-State running back. Windsor is the son of former Marceline Tigers A.D. and Head Football Coach Deacon Windsor. Windsor, in an interesting note, is only 1008 yards from being South Shelby’s all-time leading rusher in school history.

Defensively, the Cardinals will run out of many variations on the four-front, and will even shift into a five-man front at times. They return eight defensive starters, and are returning experience all over the field.

“We expect them to load the box on us and force us to throw the ball,” said Coach Thudium. “We believe will see a 4-3 cover Zero, a 4-4 Cover Three and a 6-2 Cover Three.”

Kickoff for this Clarence Cannon Conference battle is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Burlington Field this Friday night.